Holiday hoarders | Reason why staff aren't taking annual leave in 2020

In a normal year, most employees will look forward to taking some time off work to enjoy a well-earned break. However, since coronavirus gripped the nation, the chance to get away from it all has dwindled, as quarantine measures and lockdown restrictions have prevented people from heading away on holiday.

Due to this, many employees have been reluctant to use up their annual leave allowance, saving it for a time when they will be able to make the most of the time off. This has led to growing concerns of burnout for employers, as staff choose not to take time out away from their jobs.

In fact, data from e-Days which surveyed 50,000 of its users has found that 37% of UK workers have 14 or more days of holiday to take before the end of the year. According to the absence intelligence firm, a third of UK workers have half or more of their holiday allowance still to take this year, despite just 12 weeks remaining in the year.

With such little time left in the year, employers face having their workforce absent for at least a day a week until the New Year. In addition, e-Days shared that 69% of businesses have no way of tracking the cost of employee absence, meaning the full financial impact is unknown.